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We drove up on Saturday so that we would be there bright and early for Sunday crust. We weren't sure if we would ski at Broad Pass or along the Denali National Park road near Teklanika. As you can see from the map, we ended up skiing at Broad Pass, which
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 745
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On Saturday afternoon, we drove 30 miles into Denali NP to look for snow.
Bill: "Scott, I don't see any snow here. What are we going to do?"
Scott: "I guess we'll have to go to plan B."
Date: 04/30/2005
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"Brilliant plan, Scott."
Date: 04/30/2005
Views: 700
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We camped that night, and woke up on Sunday morning at 5 AM. We were skiing before 6 AM, just as the sunlight was starting to hit Denali. In all of these pictures it is easy to spot Denali - she's the only mountain that has a few light clouds hanging ove
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 661
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There were a lot of snowmobilers camped in the Broad Pass area as well, but none of them were up at 6, so we had the place to ourselves. The first few miles near the road were very rutted and chopped up from the machines, but after that the ruts weren't
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 702
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Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 667
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There must be some wide-open crust around here somewhere...if I could only find it.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 668
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As you can see from this picture, the crust was not super-smooth. It was pretty bumpy from wind and melting. But it was definitely skiable, and the terrain and scenery were so amazing, we really couldn't complain about the bumps.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 672
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Another expanse of crust. We figured it would take about a week, at least, to explore all the crust that is accessible from the road at Broad Pass.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 607
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Goin' up...
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 500
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...coming down.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 468
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Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 455
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Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 429
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Simply a spectacular day!
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 499
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We weren't the only ones enjoying the crust. Apparently, this Marmot took some time off from making quality outdoor clothing to get in an early morning jog.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 464
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Playing on the terrain. Lots of little halfpipes, bumps, and jumps to play on.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 485
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Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 465
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Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 475
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After five hours of skiing, we weren't ready to give it up, but the snow was softening up and we knew that if we stayed any longer, we'd get stuck. Just as we got back to the car, around 11 AM, the snow quickly became soft and punchy. It went from rock-
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 542
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Don't be fooled by the grim conditions next to the road. "Thar's white gold in them thar hills."
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 507
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Ahh, possibly the best ski of the year. Okay, I think now, on May 1, I'm finally ready to let go of winter. Time to move on to summer.
Date: 05/01/2005
Views: 674
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